Paper or plastic? Study says shoppers should have a choice

MANILA, Philippines - Consumers should be given a choice between using plastic and paper bags to match their needs and be allowed to pay accordingly, according to a study conducted by the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines (SWAPP).

The group said in the study, funded by the Ayala Foundation, that it “is in favor of regulation on the use of plastic bags instead of the total elimination, and developing a more effective and efficient system of reuse or recycling of these plastic bags as well as proper collection and disposal.”

SWAPP said “it is not always advisable to focus on one aspect (environment) since an ordinance can also influence other dimensions like socio-cultural, political, institutional, health, economic and technical.” It said an information and education campaign is needed and its priority must be a “change in people’s habits” in waste disposal.

The experience in some European countries having anti-plastic ordinances showed that charging consumers for plastic bags resulted in a sharp reduction in the use of plastic, which can be replicated in the Philippines, according to the SWAPP study.

The study covered four local government units with the ban in effect: Los Baños, Calamba, San Pablo in Laguna, and Muntinlupa City.

SWAPP said one complaint about the ban was that people had to use paper, which is not as convenient and strong as plastic, especially when rains.

Crispian Lao, spokesman of the Philippine Plastic Industry Association, said “shoppers should be given a choice and they should be able to pay for that choice. That decision should also include a responsibility to dispose of that choice properly. If there’s an opportunity, reuse or recycle plastic.”

The local plastic industry has called for the implementation of waste segregation, as well as the collection, reuse and recycling of plastic bags. It maintains that proper waste segregation and disposal would prevent solid wastes from clogging creeks and other waterways, which in turn would help prevent flooding.